The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2020–2023
Adipurush: India's ₹500–700cr Ramayana epic collapsed 75–80% in week two
T-Series spent ₹500–700cr ($61M+) on a Ramayana epic whose Hindi version fell 75–80% in week two; it closed at ₹392.7cr worldwide — below its own budget.
T-Series · 2023-06-16
What happened
Adipurush — a ₹500–700 crore ($61 million+) retelling of the Ramayana starring Prabhas and produced by T-Series and Om Raut's Retrophiles — was one of the most expensive Indian films ever made; Bollywood Hungama put the budget at ₹600 crore. It opened June 16, 2023.
The backlash began within days. BBC reported the Hindi version fell 75–80% at the box office, the film's VFX and dialogue became the subject of widespread mockery, Nepal's censor board banned its release, and director Om Raut and writer Manoj Muntashir received death threats. By day 11 the Hindi run was down to ₹1.75 crore on the second Monday.
The film closed with ₹392.7 crore worldwide per Business Today's H1 2023 tally — below its ₹500 crore budget floor, so the theatrical run did not recover production costs before marketing and distribution were even counted.
Why it happened
- The producers priced the film like a global event — ₹500–700cr — while its appeal was domestic and devotional; there was no overseas gross large enough to rescue the arithmetic.
- The product itself was rejected: VFX and dialogue drew viral mockery within days of release, and a 75–80% collapse in the Hindi version is the market punishing the film, not its marketing.
- A sacred epic carried cultural and political risk that the makers treated as free: the Nepal ban and death threats closed markets and turned the discourse from the film to the offence.
- The Hindi version — the language of the biggest market — fell the hardest, and a film that loses its home-language audience in its second week has no legs anywhere.
The lesson
A record opening is not a hit: the audience rejected the product within days, and a 75–80% collapse is the bill for spending like a global event on a film judged in week two.
Sources
- BBC — Adipurush: Why audiences turned against this Bollywood epic
- Business Today — Thanks to 'Pathaan', 'Adipurush'! India box office closes H1 2023 at Rs 4,868 crore
- Business Today — Adipurush box office collection day 11: Prabhas film in a downward spiral, mints Rs 1.75 cr on second Monday
- Bollywood Hungama — Prabhas starrer Adipurush made on a budget of Rs. 500 cr. recovers Rs. 432 cr. before its release
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